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Effects of using problem of the week in teaching on teacher learning and change in algebraic thinking and algebra

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Abstract

The study investigated the effects of using the problem of the week in teaching (POWT) on teachers’ learning and changes in knowledge and teaching skills, in algebraic thinking and algebra tasks, in the setting of a university mathematics education graduate program. The graduate students participated in learning POWT weekly in a mathematics education course, which tasked the students to solve a problem, address the concept of the problem, discuss teaching the concept of the problem with conceptual understanding, and explain their reasoning. Data collection included weekly collection of student work on POWT. The one-way within subject analysis of variance was used to analyze the teachers’ growth and change in their knowledge and teaching skills in algebraic thinking and in algebra, reflected in their performance on the POWTs. The differences in the knowledge, and skills changes, were compared within each POWT and across all POWTs. The results show that the teachers enhanced their knowledge and teaching skills in problem solving, conceptual understanding and teaching methods as a result of doing the POWTs.

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  1. Teacher Education, National University, 3990 Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA, USA

    Zhonghe Wu

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Wu, Z. Effects of using problem of the week in teaching on teacher learning and change in algebraic thinking and algebra. ZDM Mathematics Education 49, 203–221 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-017-0844-x

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